Molson Dry's innovative augmented reality bottle campaign

This one totally passed me by, dagnammit.

Molson used the physical object of the Molson bottle (as opposed to a printed AR marker) as the marker for their AR campaign. What's really nice about the work is that they thought through the campaign end-to-end. Purchase of the bottle opened up the touch-point for the AR. Users could then record themselves dancing/whatever with the bottle as a captured video using the downloaded application. This video could then be uploaded to a site where other users had done so and the most creative ones were used in MPU banners that spread the word further.

Nice work.

AR advertising arrives

Well. Only a matter of time really. Mashable reports that Brightkite has added Best Buy (for now) ads into its AR application for iPhone and Android. As a result, using the Layar-style interface will also show you Best Buy ads and locations (as Powered by Google).



The end of AR is nigh... :)

The Whisper Deck: AR + voice commands

Neat. Take augmented reality, viewed through a headset (first time I've seen this), and mash it up with voice commands, that change the 3D model data. In the example below, the user views an AR marker which is showing an animated rotation of images from Flickr for a given term. By speaking the command, "Search Boston Terriers", the search term is changed to "Boston Terriers" and the images returned are for this search (along with a Wikipedia definition read aloud).

Its the 1st time I've seen AR mashed up with voice, which is great.

How AR may change how we decorate our homes

The video below shows the use of large AR markers, with a hand-held tablet PC to simulate how objects may look in various positions, sizes and colours in a room. This is an interesting application, as AR projects often focus on the use of AR outdoors, to apply information layers to real world views.

Check out the video below to see 4th Wall Technologies' vision of this:

As the article at ARTimes points out, this could be a very useful step forward for the likes of IKEA, who've so far only done a basic iPhone catalogue application.

30 clever and creative package designs

Straight from creativenerds.co.uk, comes this collection of really, really impressive examples of creative packaging.

Some stand-out ones for me...

Weird packaging for weird clothing





Frusion


Mr Clean dumbbells



Check them all out at creativenerds.co.uk
 

iPhone home automation app from Crestron

Engadget (again - dang these boys have a far reach) has a September report about an app that allows the iPhone to control Crestron automated home devices. From the looks of it, temperature control, lighting etc can be controlled at the touch of a finger :) Should be noted that a recent iPhone ad showed a similar setup using the Schlage LiNK system.


(Image credit: www.engadget.com)

This is really exciting - the iPhone really is a mobile, WiFi-enabled platform; that's it's greatest strength. Seeing these integrated apps appear is really exciting stuff.

RedEye's IR adapter for iPhone

Hot on the heels of the blog post I wrote about UiRemote a few days ago, Engadget brings us a report about RedEye, a WiFi-enabled IR docking station that also turns the iPhone into a universal remote. This looks like UiRemote in 12 months time, and comes with device management, multiple room support, multitouch and accelerometer support. The app is free, but the base station is a fairly hefty $188. Check the vids below for full demos...

iPhone in iPhone AR app from Orange

This looked kind of pointless when I first read about it: point your iphone (running an AR recognition app) at an AR code to render a 3D model of an... iPhone. Kinda like looking at a mirror of a mirror (except this only has 1 depth, unless the AR-recognition app can be run on the rendered iPhone too /Has brain melt-down/).

Anyhoo, when watching the video below, 2 things struck me. 1: that the app buttons on the rendered iPhone are clicking from the hand-held iPhone (still with me?), and 2: that the 3D model can be rotated by swiping a finger over the hand-held iPhone. Nice.

Right, so, now that I've explained it in the most confusing way possible, watch the video. It's much easier :)

Seen on Engadget

Wallpaper* magazine joins Esquire in AR January edition

Wallpaper* magazine has joined Esquire magazine (I wrote about this in November) and is releasing an AR-enabled magazine in January.



Read about the Wallpaper* January AR magazine cover on dexigner.com

Nvidia, Ferrari and AR that recognises light sources

Wow. OK, not seen this before. Apart from the pretty cool usage here, that means you could tailor your car parts in the shop before you buy them, this use of AR codes is reacting to the lighting source being used, reflecting light on the 3D model itself. Niceness...

MacDonalds jumps on AR bandwagon with Avatar giveaway

MacDonald's is running a campaign using AR to promote the Avatar movie. Users can cut out and use Avatar-branded cards in front of their webcam to bring up animated characters from the movie (see video below):

The company behind this is Total Immersion; more detail can be found at the link below, but they state:

Augmented reality pioneer Total Immersion (www.t‐immersion.com) has teamed up with McDonald’s on a promotion for the 20th Century Fox film “Avatar” at its restaurants worldwide – by far the most extensive deployment of AR technology to date. The promotion kicked off on December 1, on hundreds of millions of McDonald’s boxes.

Press release from Total Immersion about the Avatar/McDonald's campaign (PDF)

UiRemote - Infrared adapter for iPhone makes it a universal remote

Nice! I once bought one of those dang expensive touch-screen, programmable remotes, but doing it on my iPhone would be much more convenient, as it means I don't even need that remote either. I already replaced my Sonos controller with the iPhone app (which is about as perfect as it gets) and this would be the icing on the cake: ) If they open up the app to having a way of letting people create bespoke controller designs such as the Sky remote etc, then this could be a great little app.

More at the website, video below:

Send signed faxes from your iPhone

Ha. I've had to fax a few things lately and, frankly, it's a pain in the arse. In fact, I don't remember a time that faxing wasn't a pain the arse.

Well, now you can send a signed fax via your iPhone with Zosh. Video below.

Zosh iPhone application video demo from Joshua Kerr on Vimeo.

iPhone app developers adopting HTML5

I've long wanted to develop my own iPhone apps but don't own a Mac and refuse to buy one just to code in Objective-C. I've tried basic HTML & Javascript, but without persistent memory it's kinda pointless.

HTML5 includes many useful things, such as persisent local storage (like a local SQL DB object on the phone) straight via HTML5 & JavaScript. It also includes the GeoLocation amongst other things. Apps such as PhoneGap also go a long way to bridging the gap between the code and the hardware, allowing the application to detect the accelerometer and other hardware.

Nextstop adopted HTML5 completely for their iphone app. As such, it's also usable on Android and other devices with HTML5-enabled browsers.

There's an article on Scobleizer that goes through it, and it's worth a read. Sure, you don't get the AppStore payment mechanism, but you do avoid their approval process and can deliver app updates whenever you like, as often as you like.

A lengthy video with the Nextstop team explaining their decision process is below:

I'm tempted...

Tesco releases Wine Finder iPhone app

This is a nice app - essentially, using the iPhone's camera, you can take a snap of a wine bottle label, which is then compared against a DB using Cortexica Visual Search technology.

Good coverage over at eConsultancy, pointing out that it offers options to accompany your meal, or a one-armed-bandit spin-reel of colour, region, cost etc to help you choose a wine. The video below shows it in action.

Amazingly, for once, we don't have a bottle of wine in our office (what kind of ad agency is this?!) so I'll have to try it at home tonight...

Stella Artois uses augmented reality (AR) in bar finder app

1st time I've seen a big name brand use AR in a location-finding application, as opposed to the usual location-based info. iPhone 3GS only (natch) coz it needs the compass, but if you're gagging for a pint of Nelson then this is the app for you.

Preparation for wife beating? There's an app for that...

1st seen on Gizmodo.

Amazing 3D projections on buildings

Whilst digging around following my previous post, I came across the video below, which is - simply - astonishing to watch.

Projection on Buildings from NuFormer Digital Media on Vimeo.

It's a genuine service offered by NuFormer Digital Media.

Ring wall: 45x2 meter touchscreen

Wow. Just read this over at Singularity Hub.

A company called Sensory Minds built a touchscreen wall that is 45 x 2 meters and can handle up to 80 users at once.

Insane specs on it:

• 15 HD projectors
• 34.5 million pixels (28,800 x 1,200 pixels)
• 30 directional speakers

Above that is a 400 sq meter LED screen (not touch-, but still...)

Adobe AIR and the microwave oven

Genius! I love this. I haven't owned a microwave for 2 years, bur when I did, I do recall a lot of aimless waiting. This microwave links into YouTube and pulls in a video matching the time set (e.g. a 3.30min video for a 3.30 minute bake) and displays it on a screen on the microwave oven door. Love it!

More info and a components diagram at the original link.

Maison Hermès - installation by Tokujin Yoshioka

This is a nice installation (is it in a shop window?). It's not groundbreakingly complex, but I think it's meant to be gentle.

I'm a big fan of digital stepping outside of the web and being used to augment the real world.

Lumino Project: Next-Gen Lego crossed with Microsoft Surface

The video below shows the next step for Surface, developing it to the point where it can recognise 3D objects, as well as patterns on them to tailor content to the end user.

I'm getting pretty excited about touch technology - it's a more intuitive interface and linking it with real objects will help break down the technological barriers perceived by non-savvy users.

More information about it can be found at the original article on Gizmodo.

The London Underground's fricking laser beams

I spotted some "things" in the tube station the other day that I've never noticed before. They looked like bicycle reflectors...



Turns out that they are reflectors :) But (and how cool is this?) they are to reflect laser beams and are being used to detect if works above ground are shifting the shape of the tunnels (that scares me just a bit).

I found a WikiMedia file about the emitters, which has solved the mystery of what these things are for me:

Legible London - making getting around simpler

Out on my lunchbreak, I noticed a plaque on the floor (presumably reserving a space) for a "Legible London" item. Seems that the TFL are trying to simplify getting around, which is a great idea as after 13 years here I still get lost the minute I walk 5 minutes from a tube station.

They're using "Heads Up" maps (the top of the map is not North, as usual, it's whatever direction you're facing when reading the map), simple signposting to major attractions etc.

I forgot to take a photo of the marker, but the ones below are from the site:

HTML 5 geoLocation

I'm looking into HTML 5 at the moment, and the GeoLocation capability is very impressive. The demo below pinpointed me bang-on, to the house in my street. Good things are coming :)

(Needs FF 3.5) Try out HTML 5 GeoLocation

Dear brands. Stop doing digital for digital's sake

C'mon Stella Artois - when I worked at Draft, you were the bravest, most forward-thinking client we had. Some of the best digital work I've ever seen came from working with you guys.

So what's with the "let's do an AR Christmas e-card just coz everyone else is"? Ugh. Nasty. Even the word e-card should be doused in petrol and burned, but randomly sticking AR in there too? Ouch.

From BrandFlakesForBreakfast. Good point made by them too: I wonder how many more people will just watch the YouTube video than going through the pain-in-the-ass of sorting out the AR app and whatever activating thing I have to print, for zero return.

IKEA iphone app incoming...

And it's pretty lazy, for now. Bit of a classic 'let's use digital to do paper' job, the app appears to allow you to flick through an equivalent of the offline catalogue and zoom in and out on the pages. And that's about it.

The youtube video page does state they will be adding to it, so let's hope they're just following the RAD and Agile methodology and getting something out there quickly so that they can develop in conjunction with their users.

DDB's TV campaign asks us to "Join the fight" against cancer

AdFreak added a piece today about DDB's campaign for the CDN Cancer Society, urging Canadian's to "Join the Fight".

It's an intensely powerful piece, tackling the impotence that people feel about cancer; being attacked or having loved ones attacked by a faceless killer that you can't confront. DDB have personified cancer into something that the people in the ad can yell at and rise up against. Cleverly, they don't actually have a person there - someone in costume to take away the edge. Nor do they have a dark silhouette or haunting spectre in the background that these people are yelling at. Do to so would take away the true horror of cancer itself, as the minute that you see what you fear - in whatever guise - you can measure it and the reality is always less imposing than the imagination. Keeping cancer as that unknown maintains the fear - and thus the urgency of the help needed - for the viewer.

I've lost a friend to cancer and almost lost another who has fought it off twice, and this ad certainly struck a chord with me and how powerless I've felt. Good job DDB. Get helping, everyone else.